The Hartford Independent Agricultural Society, or better known as the
"Hartford Fair" is located in the Northwest corner of Licking
County. It is a unique fair in comparison to other Ohio fairs. It incorporates
directors from Licking County and two neighboring counties, Delaware
and Knox. Because Licking County does not have a County fair, the Junior
Fair includes exhibitors from all of Licking Co. and portions of Delaware
and Knox Counties.

The Hartford
Fair was organized in the fall of 1858 under the name "The Hartford
Fair Society". The first fair was held in 1858 on land leased by
Taber Sharp. The only townships represented at that time were Hartford
and Monroe in Licking County and Hilliar in Knox County and Trenton
in Delaware County. By 1871 there were ten townships represented, with
the annexation of Milford Township in Knox Co; Harlem & Berkshire
townships in Delaware; and Liberty, Bennington and Burlington townships
in Licking County. St. Albans and Jersey were added from Licking County
in 1908 as well as Miller in Knox Co. and Porter from Delaware Co.

This made a
total of fourteen townships represented with a director elected from
each with the exception of Hartford Twp. which had two directors. This
fifteen-member fair board continued until 1970 when five directors were
added At-Large from the remaining townships in Licking County, not already
represented, making the total number of directors twenty. Ten years
later, in 1980, two more At-Large directors were appointed along with
one more each from Hartford and Monroe Townships. The list of directors
totaled twenty-four. In 2012, three additional directors were added
to the Board making the total 27".

Agriculture
has been stressed through the years along with the promotion of 4-H
and youth activities. The Licking County Junior Fair was added to the
program in 1938. From that time the majority of the growth of this fair
has been with youth organizations and centered around their activities.
We are proud of having one of the largest Junior Fair programs in the
State. The 4-H Clubs are increasing to include the urban as well as
the farm youth. In 1948 Licking County had the first 4-H Band. It was
organized by Lenora McLeish and is housed on the grounds the entire
week performing at various events each day.

Agricultural
products were intended to please the older generation. Farm machinery
displays have been a large part of the fair. The local machinery dealers
are still displaying their equipment to showcase new technology.

Shade trees
have been one of the trademarks of our fairgrounds. Back in 1895 there
are records where the board had planted an abundance of trees. Of course,
the shade was needed when the only transportation was the horse and
buggy. The board has done an excellent job of keeping the trees replaced
when they are damaged or die.

These times
were difficult and money was scarce when the fair was being organized.
The Civil War took place during these early years. There were no buildings
erected until 1868. The top priority seemed to be for an "eating
house"! They served meals for 25¢. In 1883 the first amphitheater
was built. The specifications state that it was to seat five hundred
people. The builder was given the use and profit of the amphitheater
for five years instead of paying him to erect the structure. The next
building was a sheep barn built in 1901. The buildings have come and
gone over the years and now the grounds have over 40 buildings. The
land that displays the annual event has grown from the original 25 acres
to 183 acres.

Many buildings
have been erected on the grounds over the past forty years. The most
recent being the Babcock Building, Ramsey 4-H Center, Kohman Dairy Feeder
Wing attached to Grubb Arena, Jay Baird Sheep Arena and the Natural
Resource Area. In 2009, at the request of the William Wright family,
Wright Arena was renamed Grubb Arena.

There are three
dormitories for the young exhibitors to reside in during the fair and
to also allow them to care for their livestock projects. A dorm was
built in 1958 to house the boys and another added for the girls in 1968.
The 4-H Band built a dorm for their members in 1973. These three dormitories
annually house approximately five hundred 4-H exhibitors. The first
day of June in 1980 a tornado ripped through our fairgrounds. The sheep
barn and a residence were completely destroyed and the 4-H Band dormitory
was severely damaged. Repairs were needed immediately in order to be
ready for the fair that was only two months away. The surrounding communities
pitched in tirelessly and everything was ready for the 1980 Hartford
Fair.

Racing was one
of the first attractions at our fair. One of the events at this fair
was a foot race between William Lane and Maggie McComb. Maggie was the
winner to the disgruntlement of the men. Horse racing was also held
at the 1858 fair with a record time of 2:38.5. There was a Free-For-All
Trot in which some of the horses were driven and the remainder ridden.
This area has been popular with some well-known horses running on the
track.

In the beginning,
people that came into town on the train had to be transported to the
grounds by horse and buggy. With the popularity of the automobile, hitching
posts were removed and replaced with parking lots. The installation
of electricity on the grounds brought the night fair.

A museum has
been built which displays the antique pieces of machinery as well as
the "old-time" household items of the years past. It includes
news clippings of events in the area to remind the visitors of the "way
it was." A country church was moved on to the fairgrounds and is
still used today for services, weddings and a social gathering place
for the senior citizens to rest during the fair. Former Director, Willis
Fravel, provided the funds to build the museum and move the church to
the fairgrounds.

Since the very
existence of The Hartford Fair it has been known as a "family reunion".
This is the place for families to congregate once a year for picnics
and catch up on the past year. It has also been a family affair for
the directors that have served on the board. There are many instances
that a father has been followed on the fair board by his son filling
his position as the director. Two present directors are third generation
board members.

Dedication has
been a strong point with the directors of the Hartford Fair. Many of
them have served long terms on the Board of Directors. There were two
that retired after serving fifty years each, namely Kenneth Berger (1944-94)
and Henry Williams (1948-98). One fourth of the present board has served
twenty-five years or more as a director. The secretaries for the board
have also served several years at a time. The longest tenure was forty
years held by William "Bill" Arter (1951-91), who was elected
as a director of the Ohio Fair Managers Executive Committee in 1979
and elected as President of the association in 1990 for a two year term.
John McDavid, immediate past Secretary/Manager, served for 17 years
and as Ohio Fair Managers District 6 director for 13 years. Rodney Arter
is the current Ohio Fair Manager District 6 Director. The present Board
of Directors are: